proverb · Words worth keeping
So we have the chink, we'll bear the stink.
So we have the chink, we'll bear the stink.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Chink evokes money, while stink represents an unpleasant or objectionable cost someone accepts to obtain it. The saying exposes willingness to overlook what is wrong for an advantage, rather than endorsing that willingness or proving that every paid activity is compromised.
Example
A group questions a sponsor’s demand to conceal an error, rather than treating the offered support as a reason to stop discussing the problem.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The two sounds make the bargain memorable: a pleasing gain is set beside something disagreeable. The speaker is willing to put up with the second as long as the first arrives. Figuratively, an advantage can become a reason to ignore a practice that otherwise would be questioned. The saying can reveal that calculation by making it sound blunt. It does not show that all compromises are equivalent, or that anyone receiving payment has acted wrongly. A useful discussion identifies the actual objection and who bears it, instead of allowing the benefit to end the conversation.
When to use it
Use it to expose a benefit being used to excuse a particular objectionable practice.
Keep in mind
The phrase describes a compromised bargain; it does not endorse one.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English